Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 38

Internet Learning Volume 4 Number 2 - Fall 2015
Employee Motivations for Workplace Learning
and the Role of Elearning in the Workplace
Jason G. Caudill A
Workplace learning is increasingly important in the dynamic competitive
environment faced by organizations throughout the world. As the needs of a
successful organization continually change there is a need for the employees of
that organization, at every level, to update and expand their skills to match
the needs of the organization. This places workplace learning in the position
of serving employees at different levels of the organization and with different
professional skills and responsibilities. In order to best ground workplace
learning design as an aspect of the organization’s overall strategy it is important
to recognize the common elements of all workplace learning design and their
importance in supporting the success of the firm. These common elements are
increasingly best served by the use of workplace elearning approaches. This
paper will examine workplace learning as a strategic focus of the modern firm
and the common elements that are present across all types of training in the
workplace as well as the unique elements of elearning in the workplace.
Keywords: workplace learning, elearning, learning organization, ADDIE
Introduction
The competitive environment for
almost every industry is increasingly
dynamic and both the work and
technology environments are rapidly
changing. Kyndt, Raes, Dochy, and Janssens
(2012) explain that these changes and
the shifting focus to knowledge work are
driving firms to shift their focus to more
highly skilled workers. These changes
are challenging companies to continually
update and improve their processes and,
as a result, employees at every level are
increasingly expected to continually learn
new skills to keep pace with the changing
needs of their company and their customers.
While the content of learning activities
differs among industries and even among
different categories of employees in a single
firm, there are many common themes
that support the need for, and delivery of,
workplace learning for employees.
By addressing these common
elements, firms can better construct an
overall philosophy of workplace learning
for their employees. The process will be
similar to many other strategic management
A
Dr. Jason Caudill currently serves as an Associate Professor of Business at King University. His education
includes a BS in Business Administration, an MBA, and a PhD in Instructional Technology from the University
of Tennessee as well as a graduate certificate in Strategic Management from Harvard Extension School.
His research interests include technology management, online learning, and the management and markets of
higher education.
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